VALIDATION STUDY OF A RACIAL EQUITY SCALE FOR TEACHERS

Abstract

Despite pervasive racial inequality in Brazilian elementary education, there are few studies that examine the factors within schools that perpetuate these disparities. This paper aims to address this gap by assessing the psychometric properties of the Racial Equity in Schools Scale (RESS), designed by the authors to measure the roles of schools and teachers in promoting racial equity. Administered to 159 fifth-grade teachers in the Rio de Janeiro municipal public school system, the RESS consists of 13 questions covering school-wide equity systems and classroom practices. The analysis indicates that the scale has high internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.8498). While further validation research is necessary, the current study suggests that the RESS has the potential to be a valuable tool for evaluating racial equity in schools, providing insights into both institutional practices and individual teacher behaviors. Additionally, it underscores the correlation between lower socioeconomic status and reduced promotion of racial equity, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to address educational inequities.